The Usual Suspects
by Planet Unicorn
Summary: Ichigo was framed for a murder he didn't commit. And he decides to try to crack the case himself. But when he meets up with Inoue, his old girlfriend, can he trust her? Or is she trying to get him put in jail? Ichihime, AU.
1. Interrogation

"Today's top story, Grimmjow Jeagerjaques was found dead in his apartment early this morning." Renji inhaled his cigarette deeply, the tip glowing a deep red. He exhaled, watching as the grey smoke swam towards the surface. He turned up the 6'o'clock News.

"He was most likely murdered, found by his neighbor, Ulquiorra. The police have not yet eliminated that drugs may be involved."

"Hey, Rukia." He yelled. "Come check this out."

"What is it?" Rukia asked as she walked out of the bedroom. Her coal black hair was messy and everywhere, but she was still beautiful. She was wearing a simple white tank top, no bra, and gray shorts that were too small and hugged her thighs close.

"Remember Grimmjow? That guy we met a couple months ago?"

"You mean that guy with the obviously dyed blue hair and the bad attitude?"

"That's the one."

"What is it?"

"He's dead."

"Currently, the police's prime suspect is a man named Kurosaki Ichigo. They arrested him late last night." The news showed a clip of the police arresting Ichigo. His hair was orange, messed up, and he obviously just woke up.

Renji and Rukia stared at the big screen TV.

"Oh no." Renji whispered.

"Ichigo…" Rukia whispered.

***

"Well?" Officer Byakuya held out his hand behind him as he walked, and Hamataro Yamada was stumbling to keep up with him.

"Um, w-we arrested Kurosaki Ichigo this morning." He stuttered, handing him a pale yellow folder. "Soi Fon's questioning him now."

"Who else is under custody?" He asked.

"U-Ulquiorra Cifer, Sosuke Aizen, Nnoitora Jiruga, and Kurosaki Ichigo."

"All right, I'm going in." Byakuya said as he entered the interrogation room. He threw the folder behind him, scattering the papers about on the floor.

***

"Damn it, Kurosaki!" Soi Fon yelled as she slammed the table with her left hand. "Do you not realize the position you're in? Grimmjow is dead, and you were the last person to ever see him. Not to mention you two never got along. I honestly don't see a reason for you not to kill him."

Ichigo smirked, his arms crossed. "I'm telling you, I didn't do it."

"Oh yeah, I'd believe you less if you told me you killed the Tooth Fairy instead. Now spill it."

"I'm telling you, I didn't do it." He repeated.

"All right that's it, Soi Fon." Byakuya said as he walked through the door. He held two cups of coffee in his hands. "Here. Now take a break. It's too early for even you to be yelling at a suspect like that."

"Thanks." Soi Fon whispered, inhaling the steam floating from her generic coffee, and took a sip. "Disgusting, but I'm satisfied. Have fun with this asshole." She said as she left the room.

Byakuya sighed, sat down, and sipped his coffee. "All right, let me get this straight. I'm better that you. You're the kind of scumbag that'll end up on the streets any second now. I'm honestly surprised it hasn't happened yet. My point is, it's too early in the morning for me to try to milk a confession out of you. So just tell me-did you do it?"

"No."

"Do you know who did?"

"No."

"Wonderful. So as I understand it, you have a history with the victim."

"Not really a 'history'." Ichigo said, using air quotes. "I got into a fight with him. He punched my girlfriend. I-"

"Who's your girlfriend?"

"At the time, it was Orihime Inoue. We're broken up now. Once he punched Inoue, I picked up a knife on the floor and slashed his chest. And it cut deeper than I intended."

"I'd call that a pretty rich history." He said, smiling as she drank his coffee.

"Very rich. Anyways, Inoue was training to be a nurse. So she stitched him up. He was fine, just got a really bad scar."

"Nice girl."

"Tell me about it."

"So let me get this straight. He punched your girlfriend, so you cut him." Ichigo nodded, kicking the leg of the table. "And she stitched him up anyway?"

Ichigo stuck both his hands up, as if surrendering. "Hey, it's the truth. You wanted it, didn't you?"

"Kurosaki-kun, is it possible you wanted revenge on Grimmjow for that?"

"Asshole!" Ichigo yelled, getting out of his seat. "That was months ago, why would I want to kill him now?!"

"I'm just saying-"

"You ain't sayin' shit. I'm outta here."

"Not quite." Byakuya said, taking another sip of his coffee. "I'm not done interrogating you yet. Sit back down."

Ichigo barely knew this man. But already he hated his guts. The way he acted better that Ichigo, how he was so calm when Ichigo flipped out on him. It was infuriating, but somehow Ichigo was able to sit back down.

The interrogation went on for another 52 minutes and 23 seconds. The officer finally let Ichigo go, having not gotten anywhere. When Ichigo left the police station, he was hit with a parade of blood-sucking parasites with cameras. He tried to ignore them, but he could barely see two feet in front of him with the flashing cameras. But eventually the paparazzi dissipated, leaving Ichigo to walk the streets alone. Then it started to rain. Ichigo rode the bus back to his apartment, but still soaked once he got home.

He opened the door to his apartment building, and hit the elevator button. He jumped on, hit the number 8, and rode up to his apartment.

He shuffled to his room, number 804. He wasn't able to lock his apartment this morning when they arrested him, so he was half expecting to be robbed.

But once he got to his door, he froze. He stuck his ear to the cheap oak panel, listening. He heard murmuring. There were people in there. Two, to be exact, a man and a woman. No, wait. The TV was on, with the News switched on. Ichigo didn't remember leaving on the TV when he was arrested. Someone had to have broken in. He sighed. Just as he laid his hand on the door knob, he heard the refrigerator door open. He twisted, and barged in.

And there she was. Her golden orange hair glittered in the light, wet from the rain. Her skin was flawless, and she wore a small green dress that hugged her thighs. She never looked more beautiful.

Inoue Orihime was standing in his kitchen.

***

Ok, so this is obviously very AU. I got the idea while watching the Usual Suspects. I hope you enjoy!


	2. Framed

May I just say, how THANKFUL I am for all the totally awesome lurve. :3 I really never expected this to be such a huge hit, and I couldn't be happier. So thank you for all the loverly reviews, for those of you who added it to their story alert lists, me to their favorite author lists, and everyone who read my story! Honestly, my heart skipped several beats when I read all your reviews.

***

"I-Inoue?"

"Hello, Kurosaki-Kun."

"What are you doing here? I haven't seen you for 2 months."

"You're out of pickles, by the way." Inoue said, turning around and pulling out a jar of mayonnaise and a loaf of bread. "But I guess a cucumber will do."

"Did you hear me?" Ichigo nearly yelled.

"Yes, Kurosaki. I heard you." Orihime said, slapping globs of mayonnaise on bread. "Aren't you gonna take your jacket off? You're very wet. You know, one ti-"

"Listen to me!" Ichigo yelled. "Cut the crap and stop ignoring me. I was arrested this morning for murder, I was interrogated by Rukia's brother for an hour, and then I find you rooting through my fridge! So please, tell me what you want!"

Inoue took a bite of her sandwich and smiled. "You were framed."

"Framed? What are you talking about?"

"Okay, now it's time for _you_ to cut the crap. Is it not obvious enough?" Inoue paused, and noticed his blank face. She let her head fall between her shoulders, and set her sandwich down. "Grimmjow died last night, and you were the last person to ever see him. Not to mention the text messages they found on his cell."

"Texts? What text messages?"

Orihime sighed again, and said, "Really? Byakuya didn't mention it?"

Ichigo shook his head, though he was barely aware. It was all a shock. The puppeteer moved the string attached to his head, and Ichigo felt as if he was watching himself from the corner.

"When they searched the scene, they found his cell phone. On it was a conversation between you and him. And it wasn't pretty. There were some threats in there." Inoue took another bite of her sandwich.

"Threats? What kind of threats?"

"Just the normal, 'chop your head off', 'hunt you down', 'murder you in your apartment' kind of threats. Y'know."

"Oh my god."

"Yeah. And did you check your bank account? $15,000."

"What?!"

"Yup. When did you last have a job, Kurosaki-Kun?"

"I haven't had a job in months."

"Exactly. How did that get there?"

"I'm gonna help you." Inoue finally said, wiping the crumbs from her palms.

"Help…me?"

"Yeah. You were framed, Kurosaki. No way am I gonna let you deal with it yourself. You're gonna get put in jail, unless you trust me on this." Inoue walked over to the couch, sat down, and turned off the TV. "Do you trust me?"

"I don't know." Ichigo whispered. He was unaware of what he just said. The puppeteer hated him, wanted to make him miserable. And yet again, his mind watched his body from the shadows of the corner.

"What do you mean, 'you don't know'?"

"What happened to us, Inoue? I loved you. You loved me. What happened?"

Inoue sighed. She was really afraid that the conversation was going to sway this way. "It was Grimmjow. After you cut him, and Ulquiorra showed up, I didn't recognize you after that. It was like watching your hollow shell with no soul. After that, I saw you from a totally different angle."

"It was Grimmjow?"

"Yup."

"Oh no." Ichigo finally sat down on the recliner next to him, and pulled his wet jacket off.

Inoue stood up and moved over to Ichigo. She picked up his jacket and set it on the floor next to him. "Do you trust me, Kurosaki?"

Ichigo looked into her blue grey eyes. They seemed to shimmer in the light. And he leaned forward.

Their lips met; their body heat flowing to each other. Ichigo stuck his tongue out, and licked her teeth. Inoue met his with her tongue, and savored the taste. She missed it so much.

Ichigo pulled away, and stared into her eyes. He tucked her hair behind her ear, and whispered, "I missed you."

He lunged forward, but Inoue laid her finger on his lips. Without a word, she grabbed his arm and pulled him into his bedroom. They both fell onto his bed, the springs creaking beneath them. Lying on their sides, Ichigo kissed her, rubbing her arm and feeling the satin of her dress.

Inoue sat up, and pulled her dress over her head. As he continued to kiss her neck, and travel down her body, she tried to take his shirt off.

***

Ichigo and Inoue laid next to each other, naked under the sheets.

"Inoue?" Ichigo whispered, not sure if she was asleep.

"Mmmm." She murmered.

"…I trust you."


End file.
